Councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas, the anti-cuts group on Southampton City Council committed to opposing all cuts in jobs and services. We campaign for the government to provide full funding to meet the needs of the city.

The Labour Councillors running the city are, to their shame, planning to axe vital adult social care services. They are claiming that, in their own weasel words, they are simply “re-providing and re-designing the provision of adult care services”.

Don and Keith deplore this attack on the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Woodside Lodge at Maybush, is a 27-bed long stay residential home providing care and support for adults, generally over 65 years of age, who are living with moderate/severe dementia – under threat of closure!

Kentish Road Day Care Centre, in Shirley, is an 8-bed unit providing short term respite for approximately 70 people with learning disabilities – under threat of closure!

Day Care Services provide critical day-in, day-out, support for people with physical and learning difficulties and mental health issues – under threat of cuts!

Don and Keith are very aware that many residents of Coxford, Aldermoor, Lordshill and Lordswood rely on these vital services. On their behalf, and on behalf of the many vulnerable people across the city, they will be objecting vehemently to these outrageous proposals.

One man’s crusade….

charge increase being forced on them by their landlord, ‘People for Places’. Unrelenting barrage….One resident in particular, Len Neeson, has been on a one- man crusade! Len organised a public meeting and wrote letter after letter to ‘People for Places’, his Member of Parliament, the Housing Ombudsman, the Secretary of State, the Prime Minister and finally the Queen, explaining just how unfair this increase was. Who says there’s nothing you can do…?

In the face of Len’s barrage, ‘People for Places’ finally agreed to reduce the increase by over 50%! Well done, Len, you really are a Neighbourhood Champion!

Attack on our local firefighters….

Firefighters risk life and limb protecting us. Residents of Coxford, Aldermoor, Lordshill and Lordswood have good reason to thank the crews from our local fire-station at Redbridge. As part of their drive to slash spending on public services the government wants to make firefighters pay for the deficit caused by bailing out the bankers by making them work longer and pay even bigger contributions to their pension scheme but get a smaller pension when they retire.

Firefighters will be required to work until they are 60. But a report commissioned by the government warned that two thirds of them will not meet the current fitness standard – that means they may be forced to retire at 55 due to a natural decline in fitness and lose up to half of their pension, or face the sack.

Pay more….

Firefighters already make hefty contributions from their salaries towards their pensions, but this year their contributions were substantially increased for the third year running, and will increase yet again in 2015.

Get less….

Firefighters will only receive the full pension they signed up for if they work for 40 years in the service, which given current retirement and fitness rates is unlikely for the majority of firefighters.

No option…

The Fire Brigades Union is campaigning to alert the public to this attack on the quality and effectiveness of our fire service. The government is hell-bent on driving through these changes and has refused to listen. Firefighters across the country have been forced to take industrial action to defend our fire service, and Keith and Don are backing them 100%!

Fairisle parking nightmare….

As reported in previous editions of Coxford Call, and recently in the Daily Echo, residents of Fairisle Road, Orkney Close and Malin Close at Lordshill are fed up to the back teeth with the failure of the Labour Council to take seriously the horrendous school drop-off parking problem which makes them prisoners in their own homes. Concerned residents are afraid that it will not be long before a child is injured.

Dedicated car-park demanded…

Don and Keith have always thought that the only long-term solution is a car-park on the old Oaklands School site, so that school traffic wouldn’t even need to go into Fairisle Road.
The opportunity to make this a reality is now approaching because Council officers are putting together an outline planning proposal for the site.

Don and Keith are putting pressure on the Council to incorporate a dedicated car-park into their plans.

Community Pay-back comes to Aldermoor…

Residents of Aldermoor got in touch with Keith about the fly-tipping of rubbish at the back of the shops in Aldermoor Road, which they were concerned could be a health hazard as well as being unsightly.

Environmental Health Officers moved into action and organised a Community Payback Team (offenders paying for their misdemeanours) who cleared away one and a half tons of rubbish! A big thank you to those officers.

Determined to keep trying…

Years of neglect by the City Council have left our children’s play areas in Coxford, Aldermoor, Lordshill and Lordswood in desperate need of a makeover. Lordswood mums have asked Don if he can get something done about the play area in Sheldrake Gardens. The Labour Council says they have no money and that Don must find alternative funding. What’s happened to your Council Tax, you may well ask! Don’s had a couple of knock-backs but is determined to keep trying….

Dave (“You know that.”) Boyes,

a good friend…

This edition of Coxford Call is dedicated to the memory of Dave Boyes who sadly passed away on 17 July after a prolonged battle with illness.

Keith has won in Coxford and re elected with 1633 43%. A great result and vindication for his stand with Don in opposing all cuts!

The result tonight has lit up the idea that fighting councillors can help build support for a real alternative to austerity. It is in sharp contrast to the close shave for Labour council leader Simon Letts who nearly lost his seat to UKIP after two years of implementing Tory cuts.

Keith said, “This result is a victory for the people of Coxford who fought to save local services and won an important victory to re-open our local swimming pool. It shows what is possible. Other significant results across the city for anti-cuts candidates shows the potential that exists for a new party. A party that stands up for working people, campaigns for jobs and housing and tackles the growing poverty that effects do many families in the city.”

Thanks to everyonefor their support and solidarity which ensured the message was heard loud and clear across Coxford and beyond, councillors have a choice, this one won’t vote for cuts and we need many more who will join his stand.

Sitting Councillor Keith Morrell is standing as the ‘Putting People First’ candidate for Coxford Ward in the City Council elections on Thursday 22 May.
Keith says: “People are fed up with the old politics. I believe in putting the people of Coxford, Aldermoor, Lordshill and Lordswood first.”

Most of you will already be aware that, although Keith and Don still represent you on the City Council, they are no longer Labour Councillors. That is because they refused to break their election promises to protect local services and jobs and they publicly opposed Labour’s cuts. Free to speak up for Coxford Ward

They didn’t forget that they were elected by the people of Coxford, Aldermoor, Lordshill and Lordswood, to protect local facilities such as Oaklands Swimming Pool and play centres, not to close them down.
Refusing to be gagged

Keith and Don knew full well that their defiance would have consequences, which they were willing to accept. They knew that they could only continue speaking up for the people they represent, and not be gagged, if they were no longer members of the Labour Group. Independent Councillors Putting People First

They have been overwhelmed with messages of support from local residents and from across the City for their stand and for their decision to become independent Councillors.

The Labour Council has already reduced the opening hours of Lordshill Library to save money. Now they are to carry out a so-called `review’ of all the City’s libraries, including Lordshill.

Phoney review….

Keith and Don believe this so-called ‘review’ is
preparing the ground for when the Council
walks away from yet another of its responsibilities and privatises yet another of our local community assets.

Libraries are worth fighting for!

Keith and Don think it would be a mistake to wait and see what the Council’s ‘review’ comes up with and are launching a community campaign to defend our local library. We want to keep our public libraries, staffed by dedicated professionals.

Community fight-back!

Keith and Don are determined that Lordshill Library will not become just a dim and distant memory and believe the local community will once again rally behind the ‘Save Our Library’ campaign.

“Politicians! They’re all the same! They’re only in it for themselves!”

How often have you heard that said, or even said it yourself? And who could blame you if you did? Trust in politicians is at an all-time low, because they tell you one thing when they want your vote, but do something different once they’re elected.

I was elected in 2010 to represent you on the City Council. In my election campaign I promised to be accountable to you and to do everything I could to protect and improve upon the public services that we all pay for and value, such as schools, leisure facilities, libraries, street cleansing and refuse collection – the things that help to make a community, and our area a decent place to live.

When I tried to honour the promise I made to you, and fought to save Oaklands Swimming Pool from closure, I was suspended by the Labour Group on the City Council and eventually ended up being expelled from The Labour Party.

You may have always supported Labour at the polls but recent local experience shows that the trust we all used to have in them can now no longer be relied upon.

But when I make the promise to you that I will not betray the loyalty and trust you are entitled to expect from me, you know from my track record that I mean it!